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August 30, 2009

J.D. Drew's Perfect Temperament

The Herald's John Tomase writes that J.D. Drew "might have the perfect temperament for thriving" in Boston.

Even better. On Fire has the perfect temperament for baseball.

My mind-set is simple. I don't change because of the atmosphere and the electricity in the ballpark. ... I think everything affects you to some extent. I've always been pretty good at realizing there are ups and downs to the game of baseball. ... My faith plays a lot into it. I'm just very grounded in how I grew up. ...

It's hard to judge character when you don't know somebody. I've always been that way. ... I care as much as anyone out there. I'm just not geared the way some people are to show it outwardly. ... There are times when the fans are fired up and going crazy all the time. Those are the times when you need to step back and wind it down a little bit.

I'm good at that.

It reminds me of what SoSH Razor Shines wrote in the wake of Kevin Youkilis's comments about the media:

J.D. Drew is a great litmus test to separate rational fans from the braying jackasses. ...

[W]henever I see or hear someone claiming that "player x has no heart", I immediately write off everything else they have to say. It just strikes me as the height of arrogance to claim that you know what goes on inside another person's brain, or what degree of pain another person is feeling.

One of the moves to activate Paul Byrd had Junichi Tazawa sent down to the Gulf Coast League. Since the GCL season ends on Sunday, Boston will not have to wait the usual 10 days before recalling Tazawa for his next start this week (after rosters have expanded).

The Red Sox acquired outfielder Joey Gathright in a deal with the Orioles.

When Tommy Harper found out that Jacoby Ellsbury's family has a baseball Harper signed for Ellsbury's grandfather back in 1969, he was shocked.

You wouldn't believe that sort of thing would happen. You can understand someone holding onto a ball, but it turns to be from someone who's record is going to get broken? That's unique. What are the odds?

okay we all see the reson why , but he could have been any black man at that time, he just had more talent.....

That's not true. Jackie Robinson didn't just have more talent, he had more courage and the inner strength to take it without fighting back. Very few people could have done what he did. If you doubt that, you might want to learn more about what he went through.

There are some really good stories about the search Branch Ricky went through to find the "right" person to break that barrier.I always remember the line that went something like - Robinson - "You want someone who's afraid to fight back?"Ricky - "I want someone with enough guts to not fight back"

That's not true. Jackie Robinson didn't just have more talent, he had more courage and the inner strength to take it without fighting back. Very few people could have done what he did. If you doubt that, you might want to learn more about what he went through.

Maybe your right, but to say other black didn't have the courage to do what he did , would be a slap in the face to the other black men , who were not given the chance...

Maybe your right, but to say other black didn't have the courage to do what he did , would be a slap in the face to the other black men , who were not given the chance...

Not sure if you're yanking my chain here, 9C, but just in case you're serious:

Branch Rickey approached Jackie Robinson to become the first African American to play ML baseball, because of the players who were available at the time, Rickey considered Robinson the best suited in temperament and in talent for what the journey would entail.

There may have been plenty of men equal to Robinson's courage who were never given the chance, and plenty of men equal to Robinson's talent who were never given the chance, and who played at the wrong time.

But from the pool of players available to Rickey at the time, Rickey thought Robinson had the best shot.

That is not a slap in the face to anyone.

To applaud a man's heroics is not to denigrate anyone else.

My point was that Robinson's number is not retired simply because of his playing talent, and he could not have just been any interchangeable black player.